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I don't mean to disparage your poles, 2. In fact, I intend to get 4 of them myself some day because my family loves picnics and I want a better way to fly my tarp, which will weigh less than a pound when built. I was commenting on the engineering problem. You are asking a tube to withstand lateral forces for which it was not designed. A blanket litter distributes load over the length of the body you are hauling through a weave in the blanket fabric. A hammock excerts extreme stress distributed between only two very small points at the top of the poles. To keep it in column the countervailing forces opposite said load and spread to at least two points in the opposite direction each are a tremendous challenge in the field. It can be done but large spade or auger anchors in the dry dirt of South Texas ...

The engineering problem is the fun part, I have access to all the bits and pieces so why not try and make it work.

I plan to transfer a very large portion of the lateral load to a counter line then into a rigging plate distributing the force to 3-5 reasonable ground anchors so I don't have to carry a large chunk of rebar to anchor it. The poles couldn't handle the lateral load without a counter support anchor but I'm fairly certain that they can take the vertical load without issue, once I pass the lateral load through to the ground anchors.

As for the load anchors and the soil in TX, the OP can work on that engineering problem, luckily for me the ground is relatively solid here in TN.

Well I have to say that I was quite surprised when I went to order another set of these for my experimentation to find an rather interesting 5 star review on amazon that's been there since february. . .

"Great trick for Tree-less Hammock Camping!, February 13, 2012
By Cal Cooley "The Big Guy" (All over the world) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Kelty Adjustable Pole (Misc.)
If you've read the other reviews, you no doubt are already sold on the strength of these...

Now... let me tell you how I use them.

I'm a Hammock Camper (Hennessy Hammocks for years!) they are ultralight, convenient, comfortable, practical, etc., etc... but the one thing you can't get around is that you need at least 2 trees/posts/uprights of some kind to hang a hammock and tarp from... I camp in the desert and alpine areas a lot and although I can often find a rockfall, gully or just deadwood to hang one or both sides of the hammock from, I'm getting old enough that I want to know that I can set my camp up as comfortably as possible anywhere that I decide to stop for the night. A couple years back, I started experimenting with using hiking staffs, walking sticks, etc. to tie off at least one end of my hammock... finally I found these tarp poles, they did the trick perfectly! I am a big dude (6' and 270) so I needed a REALLY strong set of poles to anchor my hammock and tarp and these are the only ones that don't groan or gasp when I use them.

Now... for you folks that were intrigued by the title of this review, and haven't already figured out how I use them... this is how to do it...

I simply tie a small not-slip loop right up at the edge of the hammock rope where it attaches to my hammock and I have another piece of rope with a loop in the middle of it that I use as the "tie downs"... all I do is slip both loops over the end of the pole and tie them off to make a pyramidal support structure... the main hammock line stays in-line with the hammock and the other two pull at 90-degree angles off of it... my weight is pushing straight down on the pole so there is little or no shearing stress and the tie-downs simply keep it in position...

Voila!

Now... obviously, almost any deadwood stick or walking staff, etc. can also be used this way but I got tired of messing with the weight etc.. these poles are light enough and tough enough to do the trick... I often take two... one as a staff and the other either as a second staff for downhills or just folded up in my pack so that I will always have a full set-up even in the open plains without a tree in sight! (and I can always find a use for the extra pole, from an impromptu spear for fishing to a clothes line or pot hanger, etc.)

I would love to find something strong and light enough that I could use two thin poles and simply do a "teepee" tie-off at the top and then essentially have a bi-pod... it would save the hassle of the two lateral tie-downs... if you have any suggestions, please send me your ideas!

But... until I figure out something else, these simple, no-frills Kelty tarp poles are the:

1) Sturdiest
2) Best Made
3) Lightest
4) Cheapest

...poles on the market, (if you need those particular characteristics).

(oh, and the fact that they are adjustable is handy too!)

So... if you need them, just get them... this many good reviews from this many outdoorsmen should tell you that they are a good product! Happy Camping!"

I have the same poles, (the larger of the kelty poles) and will happily attempt to use them with the hammock this weekend when I go camping. I usually use them with my MSR/Moss Parawings and have seen them hold up to some absolutely tremendous loads when the winds get really heavy. I was actually thinking about buying another pair of them from REI to cannibalize and make a ridgepole for my in-process turtledog stand. They are certainly some of the stoutest pack-able aluminum poles I've found.

Erik

I am very interested in your weekend camping experience with these poles. I am looking for something that I can easily carry on my bicycle for when needed.

I bought a bunch of these poles and I'm assembling a pair of tripods right now. This is my first time EVER hanging a hammock, so I expect to eat dirt and break some poles. I should have started with cheaper bamboo....

I bought a bunch of these poles and I'm assembling a pair of tripods right now. This is my first time EVER hanging a hammock, so I expect to eat dirt and break some poles. I should have started with cheaper bamboo....

I assume that you've seen the Turtle Dog Stand. It does not depend on counterforces outboard of the set up but connects the tripods by a rigid pipe to make it an intrinsic system.

The rigid connector prevents the towers collapsing toward each other by using compression resistance to balance forces. Cool, huh?

You can use them, but there are a few caveats...
1) Do some reading on the tensegrity stands, specifically the Dejoah stand...Yet Another Tensegrity Stand

The key to using your tarp poles is the 60° angle and the triangles.

2) I also used a third stake to keep the center of the pole from buckling. I am not sure if I needed it but I had it on there from the beginning. I used a prusic loop on the pole and anchored it to a third stake. The idea was to keep the pole from bending inward (toward the hammock body).

Keep everything as low as you can; my hammock was only a few inches from the ground once I was in it; I was also using my hennessey expedition for this.